The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-01-19
FROM WASHiNCTON.
Mr.. Randall Not Pushing His Tariff
Bill at Present.
The Bill Which Allows Each Senator
and Representative Clerk.
A WaterviIIe Firm Gets a Claim of
$1,000.
Friends of the Blair Bill Claim It Win
be Passed.
Arthur creeIy Captures the Post
office at Ellsworth.
An Important Document on the
Fisheries Question.
The Foreign Relations Committee
Speaks In Very Forcible Language.
The Bill Which Allows Each Senator
and Representative Clerk.
A WaterviIIe Firm Gets a Claim OF
$1,000.
Friends of the Blair Bill Claim It VII
be Passed.
Arthur creeIy Captures the Post
office at Ellsworth.
An Important Document on the
Fisheries Question.
The Foreign Relations Committee
Speaks In Very Forcible Language.
rsp ecial to the PREss.)


WASHINGTON, Jan. IS.
Mr.. Randall's expected attempt to forct
| his revenue reduction scheme before the
House does not seem to materialize. In fac
| Mr.. Randall has been for several days absen
| from the city, and for the present at least
seems to have abandoned his proposed mo
| ton. The number of his personal followers
in his own party is so small that he canno
hope to accomplish anything without Repub
| lican aid. But while the Republicans wer,
very glad to assist Mr.. Randall in laying ou
| Mr.. Morrison, he finds it quite another thing
when he attempts to bring them to his sup
| port in his endeavor to reform the revenue
| in accordance with his own views. Mr.
Randall wishes to abolish the taxes on tobac
| co and whiskey but wants to let sugar severe
| ly alone. The Republicans want to reduce
the tax on sugar but are not willing to yote
| to abolish the internal revenue taxes. Mr.
Randall cannot therefore hope for much aid
| from the Republicans, and unless he change:
| his tactics and votes with Mr.. Morrison to &c
into the committee of the whole to consider
revenue, then running the risk of getting
something which will be unsatisfactory tC
him, it is difficult to see how he can gain
consideration at all. 1t is considered not
impossible that he may do this.
A favorable report is expected to be made
this week upon a bill introduced early in the
session which allows each Senator and Rep
resentatiye who is not chairman of com.
mittee, clerk to be paid during the time
actually employed while Congress is in ses-
sion at the rate of 500 per month. The life
Of the average Congressman during the ses-
| sion of Congress is by no means one Of ease
A trip to each of the departments in the in.
terest of their constituents is daily neeessi-
| ty with most Of them. Those of prominence
have two or three committee meetings to at
tend every week, at which they are expected
| to be on hand promptly. At II O'Clock the
| House meets and they are expected to be in
| their seats ready to act their part in legisla-
! tion. III they are prominent in debate their
| speeches must be written, or prepared, and
| the preparation of a speech on financial top
les for instance, requires no small amount OF
research Then to crown all, are their daily
mails. Most men would consider it by nc
means small days work to attend to the
mail received by the average Congressman
in one day. They are the target for every
| person in their district who wants any in
| formation upon almost any subject under
| the sun, to say nothing Of those who think
| they alone know just what Congress ought
| to do on this that or the other subject, and
who therefore overwhelm their member
| with gratuitous advice as to the course OF
action he should pursue. By far the greater
| part of the Congressman are, comparatively
| speaking, poor men, living is expensive in
Washington, and they cannot afford to EN-
ploy clerk and pay him from their own
| pockets, consequently they degenerate into
mere errand boys for their constituents
their time being given to visits to the pen
| sion office and other departments, to answer
| ing their multitude of correspondents, an6
| to sending out pub. docs" and gardeT
seeds The passage of the bill referred to
would relieve them of all their work, for (
clerk could attend to their mails, and to th,
| greater part of the department errands, leav
ing the members free to attend to more i'm
portant matters. There is, however, hardl!
| possibility that it will be passed, for the
reason that most Congressman fear the eff
| feet that their vote in favor of the bill woult
have upon their Standing with their constit
uents. Plenty Of them there are who sa,
| they wish it could be passed, and who will
| do all they can to secure its passage befor
it comes to vote, but when the roll is calle'
the fear of their constituents at home will
keep them in the safe seclusion of the cloak
rooms or committee rooms, out Of hearing o
| the clerks voice, if indeed it does not com
| pei them to record their votes in the mega
| tive.
| The Senate has for several years pas
| given its members clerk at government eX
pense, and it has resulted to the advantag
Of the public business, but the House is nc
| likely to follow their example during thi
Congress at least
Captain G. G. Goss and John Mcdonald o
Bath; P. NJ. Whitman, d. L. Perry and {
II. Minott of Maine, are here in attendanc
upon meetings of the American Shippin
and Industrial League.
The President today signed the bill gvin
Mcssrs. Bangs, Bramnell & Co., of Watel
vile, $4,000 for tar and stores destroyed dun
ing the war.
The House committee on pensions decide
by strict party vote to report adversely o
the bills to pension Mrs. Logan and Mr.
Blair. The Republicans will submit a m
nority report in favor of the bills, and it
general expectation that this will be adopte
and that the bills will pass if they gain cor
sideration.
Friends of the Blair education bill are ju
bilant over the result of the vote in the Hou
today, refusing to table resolution fxiI
the time for consideration Of the bills. The
think resolution will be passed tomorrow
and that a large majority against tabling il
dicates certainty that the House will pa
the bill
Postal Matters.
New postoffices have been established
Maine as follows: North Hope, Knox cou
ty, on route 436; North Appleton being tv
miles northwest, and Hope three miles sout
east David S. Hall has been commission
postmaster South Lubec, Washington cou
ty, special from Lubec, two and seve
eighths miles north, routes 100, 1878 and 81
Peter Godfrey has been commissioned POI
| master Rosa III. Sullivan has been commi
stoned postmistress at North Winterport
railroad service has been established as Il
lows: Route 26, Hartland to Pittsfeld,
basticook and Moosehead railroad, S.S mil
, and back, twelve times week, or as mu
/ oftener as trains may run. From Jan.
: 1887.
I The President today sent to the Senate t
& name of Arthur Greeley, to be postmaster
: Ellsworth.
Personal.
d Mr.. w. C. Nelson and wife of Portlal
spent few days at the Capital recently.
Pensions have been granted as follows:
A. Hall, Skowhegan.
i Geo. w. Curtis, Etna.
7. John +. Montgomery, Bangor
O BENJAMIN T. Sleeper, so. Thomaston.
q John f. Tobin, Camden.
n Enoch III. Shilling, (lnsane) winthrop.
y - Eben s. Harvard, Wesley
4 Samuel @. Wallace, Milbrldge.
n Increase of pensions has been granted
e Oliver Hunt Sherman.
VIM Andrews Freep0rt.